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| Attribute | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | CNSA | Astrobotic | SpaceX |
| Prime contractor | China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) | Astrobotic | SpaceX |
| Status | Landed | Lost | In development |
| Customer | CNSA | NASA-CLPS | NASA-HLS |
| Launch date | 2024-05-03 | 2024-01-08 | 2027 (NET — Artemis III) |
| Landing date | 2024-06-01 | — | — |
| Landing site | Apollo crater, South Pole-Aitken Basin (lunar far side) | Sinus Viscositatis (planned; never reached) | Lunar south pole (NASA-curated candidate region near 84-90°S) |
| Payload | 1,935.3 g of lunar far-side regolith returned to Earth (2024-06-25) | 20 payloads from 7 nations (2024-01-08) | ~100 tonnes to lunar surface (sustained variant target) (2024-04-16) |
| Contract value | — | $108M (2024-01-08) | $2.89B + $1.15B Option B = $4.04B total (2022-11-15) |
| Outcome | First-ever sample return from the lunar far side and the South Pole-Aitken Basin. Used the Queqiao-2 relay satellite for far-side comms. Samples revealed unexpectedly cohesive grain behavior and excavated material from the Moon's mantle. | Maiden flight of ULA's Vulcan Centaur. Helium pressurant valve failed to reseal post-actuation, over-pressurizing the oxidizer tank and rupturing it. Lander commanded into controlled re-entry; burned up over South Pacific 2024-01-18. | Selected April 2021 as sole HLS provider for Artemis III. Architecture requires Super Heavy launch + multiple Starship tanker refueling flights in LEO + transit to NRHO + rendezvous with Orion (SLS). NASA OIG IG-26-004 (March 2026) flagged crew-rescue capability as open risk. October 2025: NASA acting administrator Sean Duffy reopened Artemis III lander contract to competition due to Starship development pace. |
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Underlying dataset: GET /api/moon/landers. Methodology: /moon/methodology.